In the spring of 1998, one week’s cover of Sports Illustrated didn’t feature an athlete or coach.

It was a stark photograph of a young boy wearing overalls, holding a basketball behind the bold headline: “Where’s Daddy?”

The story called the issue of professional athletes fathering children out of wedlock an “epidemic,” citing NBA players as the most numerous offenders. It talked of paternity issues unsettling teams and absentee fathers.

While the cultural understanding of the issue has changed over time, focusing more on the presence of the father rather than his marital status, when fatherhood is connected to the NBA, the connotations still aren’t often positive.

On Friday, the Miami Heat’s Dwyane Wade, Knicks assistant general manager Allan Houston and retired NBA player Etan Thomas teamed with Houston-based pastor Joel Osteen to hold a seminar at Lakewood Church that they hoped to contrast with the party-focused environment that accompanies the NBA All-Star Weekend.

Their goal, in part, was to change that image and offer an alternative view of men in the NBA who maintain a presence in their children’s lives.

“What you see from us is basketball,” Wade said. “You see sports. You hear about a lot of negative things about the lifestyle. But at the end of the day we’re all parents. A lot of us have families; we’re different from what you see on the basketball court. … Our job is just to pump as much positive into them as much as possible. The best way to do that is letting your voice be heard.”

The event came together at Osteen’s behest. He contacted Houston, who reached out to Wade, who in turn sought Thomas. All three have been outspoken about fatherhood being an important issue to them.

Last year, Wade, who was raised by a single mother, wrote his first book, “A Father First: How My Life Became Bigger Than Basketball.” He has two sons.

Thomas, too, wrote a fatherhood-themed book, “Fatherhood: Rising to the Ultimate Challenge.”

Thomas played in 409 NBA games (74 started), averaging 5.7 ppg and 4.7 rpg in 17.3 minutes on the court. Most of his career he played for the Washington Wizards, and spent his last seasons with Oklahoma and Atlanta.

“(A big misconception is) that in the NBA (nobody is being) responsible fathers,” Thomas said. “That simple of a misconception. Something that you have to show that’s false by breaking those stereotypes like this. Highlighting positive fathers. If you’re only showing one image, that’s all you think that is there.”

Houston’s foundation focuses on family and fatherhood issues.

Houston, a 2-time All-Star, played 11 years in the NBA, averaging 17.3 ppg in 33.7 minutes of playing time. He spent most of his career with NY Knicks, and also played two seasons for Detroit Pistons.

After being a first-round pick in 1993, thinks the perception of NBA fathers is changing because of the images players like Wade present.

“You see LeBron in his commercial, you see D-Wade with his kids,” Houston said.

“You’re starting to see Chris Paul and his son. I think it’s a great image for our public to see. It’s about the platform that our young men have. But I think the change is a positive change. … You have a lot of young fathers who are still kind of unsure. Every time a man has a child there’s this uncertainty of can I do this? Or what can I do? What we’re here to do is encourage them.”